This month, in our organizational newsletter, I’m going to talk about moderation instead of deprivation. People who want to lose weight quickly, which is true for like… everyone, get stuck on the idea that if we can deprive ourselves of ONE thing we will be skinny. Easy! Right?

Wrong. Yeah, cutting out carbs will help you lose weight pretty quickly, but it will also help you to starve your body! Your body needs carbs, fat, AND protein to function, especially when you’re kicking up the activity a notch. Instead of viewing food as something you need to take away, view it as something you need to replace. I quit diet Cokes and artificial sweeteners for my resolution. It was the ONE thing I was holding onto from my past unhealthy lifestyle that I really didn’t want to let go of, but it was bringing me down. I’m replacing my Cokes with unsweetened tea when I feel the urge to grab one. My body sure feels a lot better; my blood sugar is much more regulated and I’m feeling less bloated. It’s the same thing with food. A drink is not just a drink. A carb is not just a carb. A fat is not just a fat.

Here’s what MyFitnessPal/Hello Healthy says about calories and macro nutrients:

Looking at this chart, we can see that our bodies need equal to and sometimes MORE carbs than protein or fat in our diets. We can do some serious damage to the way our bodies process carbohydrates, complex and simple, if we refuse to eat carbohydrates while also engaging in cardiovascular activity. We will even be more likely to gain the weight we lost and THEN some right back! Trust me, you need your macronutrients to stay healthy.

By doing so, you’ll have more energy to feed those workouts and become super beastly.